by Eamon Clery
A gorgeous, decades old, tradition exists in Ringsend in Dublin. When someone in the area dies, local man David ‘Smasher’ Kemple knocks on their door and offers to carry their coffin over the bridge spanning the River Dodder to St Patrick’s Church for the funeral mass. Another local, Eamon Clery, a freelance cameraman and editor is filming a documentary about Kemple and this unique local custom.
This timeless piece captures the bona fide work of Kemple and the efforts he makes for the people who have had somebody pass away. The tradition of carrying the coffin over the bridge is held dearly in this community, especially amongst the elderly. Clery also shot interviews conducted by writer Caren Kennedy that has culminated in a unique piece of social history for all the local people to enjoy forever more.
